Improvement in music-desks for piano-fortes



E. MOGAMMONQ Music-Desk for Piano-Fortes.

Patented Sept. 23, 1879.

50mm M0 hMMo/u N PETRS, FhQTo-LHHQGRAPHER. WASHINGTON D C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD MGOAMMON, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EDWARD MGCAMMON, of the city and county of Albany, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Music-Desks of Piano-Fortes and Organs, of which the following is a full and exact description.

My inventidn relates especially to the music-desks of upright pianos, in which class of instruments a well-known defect has long existed, arising from the lack of a proper device for sustaining the sheets of music in a flat unbent condition, the form of the casing of the instrument above the key-board being such that when it is alone used for holding the music the sheets, lacking proper support, will bend, and render the reading of the music a matter of great difficulty.

The object of my invention is to remedy the defect above referred to, and to effect this purpose a panel in the casing above the key-board is adapted to swing outward and drop down in an inclined. position-to serve as the musicdesk, or, when raised and closed in flush, to form a panel of the casing, as hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and to which reference is herein made, Figure 1 is a perspective view of part of the piano-casing, showing the music-desk extended for use; Fig. 2, a vertical section of same; Fig. 3, afront elevation, showing the desk closed up to form a panel of the casing; and Fig. 4, a detached and enlarged detail of one of the pintles on which the desk swings.

As shown in the drawings, A represents portion of the front of the casin g of an upright piano above thekey-board B, amovablc panel, commonly made with an ornamental openwork center and fitted into the opening a of the casing. Said panel is adapted to receive No. 219,821, dated September 23, 1879; application filed May 12, 1879.

aswinging and sliding movement in the opening a by means of the pintles b, which extend from the upper corners of the panel B and work in the grooves'a, formed in the ends of the opening a. Said grooves have a lining, a, of felt or other suitable material, to prevent these parts from producing a rattling noise.

D are links pivoted at one end to the panel B, and at the other end to the ends of the opening a in the casing. I These links govern the movement of the panel, so that when the bottom of it is drawn out from the opening in the casing the top of it (which is prevented by the pintles b from moving forward) slides down in the grooves a, and the panel or music-desk while opened is maintained in the inclined position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and forms a support for the sheets of music, whose lower edges may rest against the ledge E or any other suitable stop.

The musicdesk is restored to its place as a panel in the casing by simply raising it, the pintles b and links D controlling its movement to insure its correct replacement.

I claim as n1y invention 1. The combination, with the casing A, having an opening, (I, provided with grooves a, as described, of the movable panel B, provided with pintles b, and the links D, as and for the purpose herein specified.

2. The movable panel B, fitted in the opening a of the casing A, and adapted, by means of the pintles b and links D, to either drop down into an inclined position below the opening a, as shown and described, or to close into the opening a, to form a panel in the casing A, as herein specified.

EDWARD MOCAMMON.

Witnesses WILLIAM H. Low, E. F. BENHAM. 

